New analysis of the actions of antiarrhythmic drugs based on the heart rate dependency of ventricular premature contractions.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to N Shimoyama.
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The effect of low-power He-Ne laser on synaptic transmission was studied in the superior cervical sympathetic ganglion of Wistar rats. Extracellular and intracellular recordings were made from isolated ganglia before and after laser irradiation. In addition, effects of ganglion irradiation on skin blood flow were observed in in vivo preparations. Irradiation on the isolated ganglion decreased the amplitude of evoked compound action potentials in the extracellular recordings. Intracellular recordings from ganglion cells revealed that the neuronal membrane was hyperpolarized, while threshold potential and latency of response were unchanged. The reduction of skin blood flow during preganglionic nerve stimulation lessened by irradiation on the ganglion. Our results indicate that low-power He-Ne laser depresses sympathetic ganglionic transmission, and hyperpolarization of ganglionic cells takes part in the mechanism of action.
The effects of mexiletine (300 mg/day, 24 patients) and disopyramide (300 mg/day, 20 patients) on ventricular premature contractions (VPCs) were studied using a 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiogram. The VPC frequency was evaluated as a function of the underlying heart rate (HR). The VPC-HR correlation was classified into 2 major types, depending on whether the frequency of the VPC increased with the increased HR (positive type) or not (nonpositive type). The effects of the drugs were assessed based on the VPC-HR correlation and on the percent reduction of the VPC frequency. Mexiletine and disopyramide significantly decreased the frequency of the VPCs of both the positive and nonpositive types. Each drug was assumed to be effective when the percent reduction of the VPC frequency exceeded 70%. Mexiletine (300 mg/day) was 58.5% effective in positive type patients and 33.3% effective in nonpositive type patients, with a total efficacy of 45.8%. Disopyramide was effective in 50% of total cases with 44.4% in positive type patients and 54.5% in nonpositive type patients. However, the efficacy of these drugs on the 2 different types of VPCs was the same statistically. The findings strikingly contrasted those obtained with diltiazem and atenolol, which predominantly suppressed VPCs of the positive type which share similar characteristics with a triggered activity in vitro. We conclude that the mode of action of class I antiarrhythmics on the VPCs differs from that of class II or IV antiarrhythmics, as viewed from the VPC-HR relationship, and that the difference probably comes from the different arrhythmogenesis for positive and nonpositive types of VPCs, in addition to the different electrophysiological actions of mexiletine and disopyramide.
In order to investigate the efficacy of low-power He:Ne laser in treatment of pain, we irradiated 18 outpatients with severe postherpetic neuralgia. The efficacy of the low-power laser treatment was evaluated using a four-grade estimation, visual analog scale (VAS), and modified McGill pain questionnaire (m-MPQ) after every 10 of as many as 50 irradiations. The efficacy rate using a four-grade estimation at the end of 50 treatments was 94.4%. VAS decreased from 6.2 before irradiation therapy to 3.6 after 50 treatments, and the degree of pain relief was reduced to 44.6% and correlated with the number of treatments. The total numbers of words and the total scores of the m-MPQ decreased as the number of treatments increased. No complications attributable to the laser therapy were observed. These results suggest that repeated irradiation with low-power He:Ne laser is an effective and safe therapy for postherpetic neuralgia.
The effect of low-powered He-Ne lasers (red beam, 632.8 nm, 10.2 mW, and green beam, 543.5 nm, 0.44 mW) on hypotonic hemolysis in human red cells was investigated. Red cell solutions (0.9% NaCl, pH 7.00) were centrifuged and the sediments were irradiated with the red or the green beam for 0 (control), 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 15 and 30 minutes. Each of the 40 irradiated samples were transferred into hypotonic solution (0.405% NaCl, pH 7.00). After leaving the samples at room temperature for 10 minutes, optical density of every suspension was measured spectrophotomechanically at a wavelength of 545 nm to determine hemoglobin content. Hemolysis percentages of the control samples in hypotonic solution were 52.2 +/- 10.7% (mean +/- SD, N = 20) in the red group and 55.0 +/- 12.0% (N = 20) in the green group. Relative values of hemolysis in the hypotonic solution after irradiation with the red or the green beam decreased significantly between the 7- and 30-minute irradiation. These results demonstrate that low-powered He-Ne lasers have a protective effect on red cell membranes from hypotonic hemolysis and stabilize the cell membranes.
The change in electrocardiogram (ECG) during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) was investigated by recording both standard 12 lead ECG (surface ECG) and intracoronary electrogram (ic-ECG) before, during and after PTCA with right atrium pacing (80/min). During the ischemia induced by PTCA, the amplitude of QRS complex revealed an initial decrease in amplitude and later increase in ic-ECG, however, it only showed an initial decrease in surface ECG up to 5 minutes, while the QRS interval showed a significant decrease in only in ic-ECG (77 +/- 14 vs 75 +/- 13 msec). The QT interval became shorter with the increase in the duration of ischemia, the difference being statistically significant even for the initial 20 seconds of ischemia in both ic-ECG (398 +/- 27 vs 370 +/- 22) and surface ECG. In the case of acute myocardial infarction, the direction of T wave and QT interval seemed to depend on the degree of reperfusion. Hence, in patients who underwent successful reperfusion therapy the QT interval was lengthened initially and later shortened, cardiac function preserved and T wave normalized in anteroseptal myocardial infarction, while in those who had unsuccessful reperfusion the QT interval was progressively lengthened, cardiac function was not preserved well and T wave was not normalized. Therefore, in patients with a positive T wave the QT interval was shorter (382.4 +/- 42.6 vs 448.7 +/- 29.7 msec), with better fractional shortening (4.24 +/- 2.2 vs 1.95 +/- 1.2) and better left ventricular ejection fraction (68.1 +/- 6.1 vs 52.9 +/- 14.7%) than in the patients with negative T wave in lead V2 in the chronic stage.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Two cases of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis with increased serum CEA were reported. In both cases, the clinical diagnosis of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis was confirmed by transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB). Immunohistochemical study of the lung biopsy specimen showed that CEA staining was present in the region of alveoli where type II alveolar epithelial cells proliferate. It was suggested that proliferative type II cells produced CEA in pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. The study of cell surface markers in their bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) revealed increase of CD8 and Leu7 positive cells and decrease of CD4 positive cells. In the case 2, there was significant increase of B lymphocytes marker positive cells. These results suggested that there may be abnormal regulation of both T and B lymphocytes and NK cells, leading to dysfunction of the pulmonary alveolar macrophage in pulmonary alveolar proteinosis.
A 72-year-old female with malignant lymphoma, receiving oral cyclophosphamide (CPA) and prednisone, developed severe pulmonary insufficiency 56 days after the start of CPA (total dosages 8.5 g). A chest roentgenogram showed a diffuse interstitial shadow throughout both lungs, and CT scan revealed increased density, most prominent in the central zones, and a thickening of bronchovascular bundles. She was diagnosed from the clinical course and the postmortem examination as having cyclophosphamide-induced interstitial pneumonia. Interstitial pneumonia as a side-effect of cyclophosphamide is very rare in Japan. The clinical and pathological findings in this case and a review of the literature on 38 other cases world-wide are reported.
In order to investigate the efficacy of repeated irradiation of low-power helium-neon laser in pain relief, we irradiated 36 outpatients suffering from postherpetic neuralgia. Each patient underwent 20 trials of irradiation on several points around the painful area at a frequency of 2 or 3 times a week. The efficacy of the laser at the end of 20 trials was noticed on 88.9%, and the degree of pain relief was 55.3%, which correlated with the number of trials. These results suggest that the irradiation of He-Ne laser is an effective and safe treatment for postherpetic neuralgia.
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In May, 1988, a 75-year-old housewife, who had undergone a subtotal gastrectomy for a carcinoma 12 years earlier, visited our hospital because of vomiting. Biopsy specimens of the residual gastric mucosa revealed malignant cells and an abdominal CT scanning examination showed a solitary nodule in the splenic parenchyma. A non-curative resection of the residual stomach, a splenectomy and a distal pancreatectomy were performed on June 3, 1988. Histological examination of the resected specimens demonstrated a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma of the stomach, that had invaded the pancreas and retroperitoneal nodes. A nodule of the spleen that was inspected showed a round, greyish solid mass, 0.7 cm in diameter on the cut surface, and microscopically metastatic focus from a gastric cancer. Only a few operated cases manifesting a splenic metastasis of a gastric cancer have been reported and a definitive routing pattern of the metastasis is often difficult to distinguish. However, our case seems to suggest that a hemodynamic route had been taken, since there were no metastatic nodes around the splenic hilus and the metastatic site was only the parenchyma in the spleen.
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In the ripening of the uterine cervix during parturition, glycosaminoglycan (GAG) in the cervical extracellular matrix has been reported to undergo drastic changes i.e. the increase in hyaluronic acid, and the decrease in dermatan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate. N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase (NAG; EC3.2.1.30), one of marker enzymes of lysosome, may also degrade extracellular GAG in the uterine cervix. This study is undertaken to determine if NAG plays a role in the ripening of the cervix during parturition. The maternal plasma were collected from 252 women with normal pregnancy (5-41 weeks gestation). Amnion, chorion and parietal decidua were obtained from 20 patients at more than 36 gestational weeks who had undergone cesarean section (CS) prior to labor, and from 24 who had undergone CS after the onset of labor. NAG activity in the maternal plasma gradually increased with the advance of gestation, and increased drastically after the onset of labor. The activity in the amnion and decidua, but not in the chorion, decreased significantly in the women who had undergone CS after the onset of labor compared with those who had undergone CS prior to labor. It is concluded that NAG is released into the maternal circulation from lysosomes in amnion and decidua, and it is also estimated that NAG plays a role in the ripening of the uterine cervix during parturition by degrading GAG in the cervical extracellular matrix.
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Histological and immunohistochemical examinations were carried out on lymph nodes in 9 cases with Castleman's disease. In all cases, there were whorled follicle centers and proliferation of blood vessels. These findings were also considered to be important criteria for diagnosis of the plasma cell type of this disease. The whorled follicle centers often consisted of smaller concentrical structures and contained factor VIII-positive cells. In some cases, there were many small whorled structures surrounding postcapillary venules within the interfollicular areas of lymph nodes. These structures had factor VIII-positive granules indicating their endothelial origin. In 2 cases of the plasma cell type, monoclonal plasma cell proliferation (IgA, lambda and IgG, lambda, respectively) and cellular atypia were identified. These findings showed that extramedullary plasmacytoma could occur not only in the multicentric form, but also in the solitary form of Castleman's disease. In the lymph node of a case of the hyaline-vascular type, there were scattered tumour nodules consisting mainly of factor VIII-positive, atypical spindle cells suggesting associated Kaposi's sarcoma. It is conceivable that an abnormal immune state plays a role in pathogenesis of Castleman's disease.
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This report presents an adrenal ganglioneuroblastoma containing several kinds of neuronal peptides. The tumour was found in the autopsy case of a 3-year-old girl with clinical manifestation of intractable diarrhea, hypokalemia, achlorhydria, and with elevated levels of plasma vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). Immunoperoxidase staining showed many immunoreactive VIP- containing cells, some somatostatin-and substance P-containing cells on the tumour sections. Ultrastructurally, the tumour cells contained numerous secretory granules that could be divided mainly two types; one is a small cored vesicle (50-150 nm in diameter) and the other large electron dense secretory granule (200-500 nm in diameter). It was suggested that the cells in ganglioneuroblastoma derived from neural crest are closely related to the cells that could differentiate into gut-hormone-producing cells.
A case of primary cerebral malignant lymphoma, immunoblastic type was reported. The immunoelectrophoresis of the patient serum showed an abnormal bow of IgM lambda type. Autopsy revealed that the cerebral lymphoma showed no extracranial spread except for adenocarcinoma of the colon with hepatic metastasis. Ultrastracturally, some of the lymphoma cells showed plasmacytoid differentiation. Immunoperoxidase study showed intracytoplasmic polyclonal immunoglobulins in non-neoplastic plasma cells around the colonic carcinoma, in the bone marrows, and spleen. However, neither IgM nor lambda light chain was found in the cerebral lymphoma cells. The source of the macroglobulinemia in this case was discussed.